


Before the Adventure

by StarlitQueen



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Erebore, Gen, I made myself sad, Instant Attraction, Terrible Timing, The Lonely Mountain, middle-earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 11:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6115572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlitQueen/pseuds/StarlitQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Belladonna Baggins stops by her Uncle Bilbo's abode for a surprise visit, she is surprised to find a house filled with Dwarves! Every bit as inquisitive as her grandmother she was named for, she cannot resist joining the unexpected dinner party. Especially since one of the young dwarves is so terribly handsome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before the Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> Every time I read the beginning of The Hobbit or watch the first movie, I always think of these scene and how silly and happy it is. It makes me even more sad that in Battle of Five Armies, there is no one to mourn Fili. So I thought I would change that a little. I don't plan on making this a full story but depending on peoples reaction I may add a bit to it in the future.

Belladonna Baggins let herself in through the gate that lead into the small front garden. The evening primroses had finally opened their velvety midnight petals. She plucked a bloom and tucked it behind her ear before striding up to the perfectly round green door. At first she had worried she was calling too late, her uncle was usually enjoying his after supper tea before heading off to bed. But the golden flicker of the fireplace behind the pretty windows told her that her uncle Bilbo was still awake. She knocked primly on the door, but was met with a hardly hobbit-like greeting.

“Whoever you are, I do not know you, you have the wrong house, and you are not welcome!” Came a voice that was unmistakably the voice of her uncle. But she had never heard her uncle speak in such away. The door swung open almost violently. Her uncle stood in the door frame looking flustered and displeased.

“Oh! Belle, I am so sorry, please some in,” Bilbo took her hands gently in his. His manners had returned to their usual, impeccable state but his brow was still deeply furrowed.

“Uncle, what was that all about?” Belle asked but she soon found her answer. Rather, she heard her answer. There was a great deal of commotion coming from Bilbo’s dining room. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were entertaining company.”

“Neither did I!” Bilbo exclaimed, throwing his hands up over his head. “Dwarves, Belle, Dwarves! In this house. At that table! Eating everything in sight! They are making such a dreadful mess,” Bilbo fretted. Belle perked up.

“Dwarves?” She repeated, her voice filled with curiosity. “I’ve never met a Dwarf before,” she was already making her way to the dining room when Bilbo caught her by the hem of her emerald green cloak.

“I know that look, Belle,” Bilbo warned. “You are not to go near these Dwarves until I know what they are doing here. In fact, it is better if you do not speak to these Dwarves at all! Never in my life have I seen such poor manners and I- is that one of my primroses in your hair?” He asked suddenly noticing the deep purple flower nestled in Belle’s black curls.

“Yes,” she answered sheepishly. Bilbo sighed.

“Ah well, at least one of the buds will avoid being trampled by Dwarves. For surely once they have finished destroying the house they will move onto the garden!” Just as Bilbo finished lamenting, a merry bout of laughter erupted from the dining room.

“They don’t sound like they have any intention of destroying anything,” Belle chuckled. “They sound to be in good spirits! How many are there?”

“Twelve so far, plus the wizard that brought them here,” Bilbo grumbled.

“There’s a wizard here as well?” Belle exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. “Twelve Dwarves? Uncle you cannot possibly serve them all. Let me stay, let me help you.” She could see Bilbo weighing the options. On the one hand, he did not want Belle exposed to his unexpected guests. But on the other, Bilbo could not stand being a poor host, even if he did not know who he was hosting. In the end, his manners won out and he nodded to Belle.

“All right, you can stay. Be a good girl and grab the last few blocks of cheese from the pantry would you?” Belle clapped her hands, delighted. She never got the chance to meet anyone new. Let alone Dwarves and a wizard!

“Did you say the entire block, Uncle?” She asked. Bilbo sighed.

“Yes, every block I have,” he said clearly mourning the loss of his pantry contents. “They won’t be needing a cheese knife,” he muttered. Belle grabbed literal armfuls of cheese and decided to add a loaf of bread. No one could eat this much cheese without bread. By the time she gathered everything she thought necessary, the mountain of food in her arms was taller than her! Relying on her memorization of her Uncle’s home, she carefully made her way to the dining room. The laughter of the dwarves was almost deafening but it was such a merry sound.

“Mr. Boggins, you needn’t carry all that cheese for us!” A voice exclaimed. “Let me give you a hand.”

“It’s Baggins,” Belle giggled as the cheese wheels shifted in her arms. “And its Miss,” she added as the least wheel blocking her view was removed. She found herself looking into the blue eyes of a blond haired dwarf who looked very surprised to find that she was not Mr. Bilbo Baggins.

“Begging your pardon, lass!” The dwarf stammered and quickly took the remaining food from her hands and set it on the table that was creaking with the weight of a feast that could have fed all of the Shire. “Lads! Where are your manners?” The dwarf shouted over the din. Belle could have sworn she heard Uncle Bilbo snort. “There is a lady amongst us!” At once the laughter and jeering stopped and every dwarf rose to their feet. Belle looked about the room excitedly, trying to look a hundred places at once. Nearly all of the dwarves had big bushy beards and appeared older than the one she was speaking too. Despite their seemingly old age, all of their eyes glittered with mischief and merriment.

“This is Balin and Dwalin,” the young dwarf said gesturing to an old dwarf with a long white beard and a tall bald dwarf beside him. Balin and Dwalin bowed.

“At your service, my lady,” they said in unison. Belle curtsied and giggled.

“At yours,” she replied.

“Oin and Gloin,” the young dwarf continued. Both heavily bearded dwarves, one with a great red beard, the other grey, bowed and offered their service as Balin and Dwalin had done. Belle noticed that Oin, the grey bearded dwarf held some sort of metal horn to his ear.

“Nori, Dori and Ori,” the young dwarf gestured to a trio sitting on the far side of the table. The youngest looked very kind, but shy. He carried a book with him and periodically stopped what he was doing to scribble in it. Belle decided that she liked that dwarf quite a bit. She made a mental note to ask him about his book later. Maybe he would know some good Dwarfish books she could read. She had already read everything in Uncle Bilbo’s library twice over.

“Bifur, Bofur, Bomber,” were the next three to be introduced. The dwarf Belle could only assume was Bomber outweighed each of the others dwarves by half at the least. He had not stopped picking at the food on his plate even though he stood and was smiling kindly. Another greeted her in a tongue she could not understand. It was only on her second glance at him that she was startled to realize that there was a piece of what looked to be an axe protruding from his head.

“Bifur only speaks the old language,” the other dwarf said, presumably Bofur. Belle liked the way he spoke. His voice was a touch higher than the other dwarfs. Somehow, his words sounded like music and laughter. “The axe knocked out everything else between his ears.” The dwarves laughed and Belle chuckled, despite herself.

“This is my brother, Kili,” the dwarf beside her pointed to a black haired dwarf with only a bit of scruff on his face. His eyes said ‘trouble maker’.

“And I am Fili,” the young dwarf said smiling kindly at her. He took her hand in his. Such large hands! Belle thought to herself. “At your service,” Fili said bowing before her and kissing her gently on the back of the hand. She blushed and sank into a final curtsy.

“I’m very pleased to meet you,” she said, her voice more hushed than she wanted it to be. Blush still warm on her cheeks, she turned to address the other dwarves at the table. “All of you!” As her eyes swept across the room once again, she noticed a tall figure in the back of the room that she did not see before. He had a long grey beard and wore a long grey robe. He was sitting down but his head nearly touched the ceiling.

“And you, good sir, must be the wizard” she said trying to sounds as polite as possible for she did not know the correct way to address the wizard.

“The wizard?” the old man said. At first Belle worried that she had insulted him, but he let out a rumbling laugh. “Is your Uncle so cross with me that he refused to say my name? I am Gandalf the Grey, dear one. And you are Belladonna Baggins.”

“Yes, sir,” Belle said dipping into another curtsy.

“I knew your grandmother,” Gandalf said. “You are the spitting image of her.” Belle smiled. She loved being compared to her wild and strange grandmother. It was true, she did have Belladonna Took’s untamable black curls and her small upturned nose. Her uncle had often told her that she had her grandmother’s sense of adventure. Belle always saw that as a compliment, rather than a warning as her uncle tried to make it seem.

“Thank you, sir.” She said. Gandalf nodded in approval, she could see the smile hidden behind his bushy beard.

“You must join us for supper,” Fili said excitedly. The other dwarves joined in.

“Yes, join us!”

“Come and eat, lass!”

“Oh, I couldn’t!” Belle exclaimed. “Not that there is anything I would enjoy more but I’m afraid my Uncle is in quite over his head with this gathering and I promised to help him.”

“I am not in over my head,” Bilbo protested. “I just prefer to know I’m throwing a dinner party before said party occurs.” Poor, dear Uncle Bilbo, Belle thought fondly. None of the dwarves nor Gandalf seemed to acknowledge that this was an unplanned party, which made Belle think that it had been planned some time in advanced, but Bilbo was just left out of the loop. She wondered what they were planning for her Uncle as she walked to the pantry to fetch more tea cakes and jam.

“Sit in your armchair for a spell, Uncle,” Belle encouraged Bilbo when they were out of ear shot of the dwarves. “I think I can handle them.”

“I couldn’t sit down even if I wanted to!” Bilbo exclaimed. And at that moment he went rushing off after a dwarf that was holding some heirloom or another. Belle returned to the dining room and her eyes immediately found Fili’s. She had no idea dwarves could be so handsome. And he seemed so kind. She bet he had a hundred stories to tell and she would listen to all of them.

Fili was smiling right back at her. He beckoned to her to come take a seat beside him. And she almost did but then she heard her Uncle’s voice coming from the other room. It sounded like he was yelling again. She offered Fili an apologetic smile and rushed off down the hall to see if she could calm her poor, flustered Uncle.

She nearly collided with Bilbo as he stormed down the hallway with Gandalf on his heels. Gandalf wore a bemused expression, one she had seen on many parents waiting for their children to wear themselves out during a tantrum.

“I don’t want to get used to them!” Bilbo cried as Belle fell in line behind Gandalf. “Look at the state of my kitchen! There is mud trod into the carpet! They’ve pillaged the pantry! And I’m not even going to tell you what they’ve done to the bathroom! They’ve all but destroyed the plumbing! I don’t understand what they are doing in my house!”

“Excuse me,” a small voice came from the other side of corridor. It was Ori, the shy-eyed dwarf that kept scribbling in his book. “I don’t mean to be rude. But what should I do with my plate?” What a dear soul, Belle thought.

“Here you go, Ori. Give it to me,” Fili appeared on the other side of Bilbo and took the plate from Ori. He then, much to Uncle Bilbo’s horror, tossed the plate down the hallway. Gandalf leaned back and Belle ducked quickly to avoid being hit. But instead of hearing the crash of china that she expected, she realized that Fili’s brother Kili was waiting to catch the flying plate. Kili threw the plate into the dining room where another dwarf was presumably waiting to catch it. In a matter of seconds plates, dishes and dinnerware were flying all throughout the little hobbit whole. Bilbo was up in arms again, running this way and that trying to stop the dwarves.

“That’s my mother’s West Farthing pottery, they are over a hundred years old!” He cried. But the dwarves paid him no mind as they tossed plates from one to another, never dropping one, never faltering.

Belle heard a metallic clanging mixed with the steady stomping of boots coming from the dining room. She rushed after her Uncle Bilbo, but where he hurried with worry, she hurried with excitement.

“Can you please not do that?” Bilbo stammered. “You’ll blunt them!”

“Oh, you hear that lads?” Bofur said in a mocking tone. “He says will blunt the knives.” He gave Belle a quick wink and clanked knifes with Nori who sat across the table from him. Belle was delighted when the dwarves began to sing a lively tune.

_Blunt the knives, bend the forks_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks_

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates_

_That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth and trim the fat_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat_

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor_

_Splash the wine on every door!_

At this point, Bilbo had given up trying to stop what was in his eyes the greatest horror that could ever happen in his house and just stood wide eyed in the hallway. Poor Ori stepped around the whirling dwarves while carrying a tower of places, bowls and cups nearly twice his own height.

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole_

_And when you’re finished, if they’re any whole_

_Send them down the hall to roll!_

Bofur had produced a flute of some kind from the pockets of his coat and began playing a playful tune. Before Belle knew exactly what was happening, Fili had swept her up in his arms and they were dancing a jug through the kitchen and dining room.

_So carefully, carefully with the plates!_

_That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

Belle was laughing so hard her cheeks hurt and tears came to her eyes. She did not refused the sip of ale Fili offered her from his flagon. She decided that she had sufficiently filled her duties as a hostess and did not protest when Fili offered her the seat beside him. She was right when she guessed he had a hundred stories to tell. She hung on his every word as he described his travels. Stories of fire moons, endless skies, and mines filled with glittering jewels. Stories of people, towns, and friends. And of course, stories of the trouble he and his brother got into nearly everywhere he went. She could have listened to him all night. But that was not to be.

A knock sounded at the door and every dwarf went silent and still.

“He’s here,” Gandalf announced. He stood and walked to the door, followed by a curious Bilbo.

“Who’s here?” Belle whispered to Fili. The other dwarves were rising and making their way to the foyer.

“Thorin Oakenshield,” Fili whispered back, they fell to the back of the group so he could speak to her. “We are not just here for a dinner party. We are here to complete our company so we may begin the quest to retake our homeland.” Belle did not understand over half of what Fili was saying. But she would have to ask him about it later, she was very curious about the identity of this Thorin Oakenshield. She stood on her tip toes trying to see over the massive shoulders and heads of the other dwarves.

“He looks more of a grocer than a burglar,” A new voice remarked. Though his voice was deep, rich, and surprisingly regal, his tone had a hint of mocking that was not the same as the playful mocking from Bifur. _Who’s a burglar?_ Belle wondered. The dwarves wandered back into the dining room but Belle stayed behind. There was something about the new dwarf that made her feel small. She wanted to be near her Uncle.

“Uncle Bilbo, what’s happening?” She asked, not liking the change in atmosphere.

“I don’t know. I think its best you stay out here until I know what’s happening.” Bilbo disappeared into the dining room. Belle followed him but only to the doorway where she stopped to listen. The dwarves were talking about some sort of summit. The one called Thorin Oakenshield was telling the other dwarves someone or something called Dain would not be joining them.

“They say this quest is ours and ours alone,” Thorin said heavily. Many of the other dwarves sighed and nodded grimly. Unable to control her curiosity, Belle stepped silently into the dining room and stood beside her Uncle, who thankfully had asked about the mentioned quest before she did.

“Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light,” Gandalf instructed. Bilbo rushed off to fetch more candles. Belle felt awkward just standing there so she spoke up.

“Can I get anyone tea or coffee?” She offered, her voice going quiet.

“I’d like some coffee please, lass,” Fili said kindly, his eyes reassuring as if he could see how nervous she had become. A few more dwarves requested something hot to drink.

“I don’t require a drink, but I do require that only those invited to this meeting be present,” Thorin Oakenshield said sharply. Belle turned to face him. Something else she had gotten from her grandmother, her temper.

“If you don’t mind,” she said finding strength in her voice again. “This so called meeting is being held in my family home. This so called meeting has fried my Uncle’s last nerves. This so called meeting has eaten us out of a month of food. So if you don’t mind, I think I will be staying.”

Thorin looked at her sharply. He was about to respond when Gandalf spoke up.

“Thorin, this is Bilbo’s niece. Belladonna. And, if she is anything like her grandmother, I believe that even a dragon would quake in her presence should she be angered.” Thorin looked at her curiously, probably trying to figure out how she could match a dragon in temper. “Belladonna, dear,” Gandalf continued. “With the upmost respect, I ask that you step into the other room. While you have the temper of the dragon, Thorin has the stubbornness of the mountain.”

“Yes, Gandalf,” Belle complied and left the room. She did spare one glance behind her. She nearly smiled to see that Fili was watching her leave. Belle waited in the cozy living room, curled up in her Uncle’s favorite armchair and tried to read. Time passed at an unbelievably slow pace. It felt as if days had passed before a loud thump echoed through the house. She was on her feet and hurrying to the dining room only to find her Uncle lying unconscious in the foyer.

“What’s happened?” She shrieked, kneeling beside him.

“He read his employment contract,” Bofur answered. Belle stared at him.

“Employment contract?” She asked. “What could have been in there that made him faint?”

“Incineration,” Bofur answered casually.

“What?” Belle shrieked again. “Gandalf, will you help me get him into his chair?” She asked the wizard, deciding to deal with the topic of incineration later. “We must get him some tea.”

“I’ll get some,” Fili offered. Belle mouthed a thank you as she and Gandalf carried Bilbo into his sitting room and into his armchair. Belle covered his lap with his favorite quilt. Fili was soon by her side with a cup of steaming chamomile tea. She placed it on the little table beside the armchair.

“I should like to speak with your Uncle privately once he wakes,” Gandalf said gently. Belle was reluctant to leave her Uncle, but she nodded.

“Come, we’ll sit by the fire,” Fili offered, placing a hand on her back and guiding her into the sitting room where the rest of the dwarves sat. They sat together on a plush bench neat the fire. Belle was comforted by the flames, and by Fili’s presence. “Sorry we startled your Uncle so much,” he said.

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure he’ll come around soon,” Belle murmured. She turned to fully face Fili, trying not to let herself be distracted by the way like firelight shone in his hair and his eyes. “What is all this about? Please tell me.” Fili leaned in closer, close enough to make Belle’s heart beat faster. He glanced at Thorin to make sure he couldn’t hear them. But Thorin was staring into the fire, oblivious to all around him.

“Thorin is my uncle,” Fili began. “And he is the grandson of Thror, the last King Under the Mountain.” Belle wasn’t sure what that meant but it sounded very important. She listened eagerly. “We lost our Kingdom, Erebor, long ago to the foulest of beasts, the Dragon Smaug. Our people have been scattered across Middle-Earth. Not long ago, Thorin came by a map that tell of a secret entrance to Erebor. Tomorrow, we shall set of on a quest to take back our Kingdom from Smaug and regain our birthright.” For a moment, Belle was lost in his story, lost in the way his eyes glowed with determination. And it that moment she also realized she was speaking with a Dwarf Price!

“But what does this have to do with my Uncle?” Belle asked.

“Gandalf seems to think that Bilbo has skills that may be helpful to our quest. He’s a wizard so he must be right,” Fili concluded.

“I want to help!” Belle exclaimed. “Can’t I come along as well?” She could not express how desperately she longed for adventure, especially for one as noble as this. She wanted to see Fili’s home returned to him. She wanted that for all of the Dwarves, even Thorin who seemed so unpleasant. She was shocked when Fili reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand.

“I think anyone would be lucky to have you join their company,” he began. “And I am touch that you are so quick to want to aid us. But this journey will be long and dangerous. I could never forgive myself if I lead you to danger. Or death.” She didn’t know what to say. She had not expected such intimacy, though she wasn’t complaining. She wanted to say more, say something to convince him to let her come. But Thorin had stirred from his thoughts and had begun to hum.

_Far over the misty mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away ere break of day_

_To find our long forgotten gold_

He had a surprisingly lovely voice. The other dwarves stared at the dwindling fire and joined their rightful King in song.

_The pines were roaring on the height_

_The winds were moaning in the night_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_

_The trees like torches blazed with light_

Tears sprung to her eyes. Never in her life had she heard something so sad and so lovely. The heavy humming of the dwarves made her sleepy. She felt her head growing heavy. Fili must have noticed to, for he wrapped a muscular arm around her and pulled her close. She didn’t resist. There was something about Fili, his easy smile, his kind eyes, or the natural way conversation flowed between them, that made her feel as if she had known him for much longer. She wished with all of her heart that they had more time to get to know each other. She wished he weren’t going away to an uncertain faith when the sun rose.

Instead of dwelling on what could not be, she focused on the way Fili’s fingers felt as they brushed through her hair. And the way his chest vibrated when he hummed along to the songs the other Dwarves sang other songs of their people. She drifted off to sleep with her head tucked under Fili’s chin.

 

Belle jolted awake the next morning. She expected to see Fili beside her. But there was no one. She leapt to her feet, realizing that she had not woken up in the same place she had fallen asleep. She was in one of the guest bedrooms of the hobbit hole. Still disoriented, she ran into the sitting room where the dwarves must have slept. The room was empty. Though the house was completely silent, she checked the other rooms for the dwarves. Disappointment settled over her when she finally accepted they were gone. It was such a shame. She wanted to say a real goodbye to Fili, to wish him luck. She realized she never got the chance to ask Ori about his book.

With a heavy heart she walked to Bilbo’s bedroom and knocked on the door. When no one answered, she decided it would be best just to peek in and make sure he was all right. But his room was empty. She felt her heart bottom out when she realized that he must have gone with the company. Without so much as a goodbye.

Furious, she tore through the house looking for her coat. She needed to get out. She needed to do something. Maybe she could go after them. There was only one road in and out of the Shire. They couldn’t have gone far, maybe she could catch up with them. She could see Fili and convince Thorin to let her join the company.

Right as she was headed for the door, something caught her eye in the sitting room. Sitting on the hearth before the fire was a pale purple flower, a morning glory. She knelt by the hearth and notice there were two folded slips of parchment beside the flower. She picked up the first one.

_My dear Belladonna,_

_I have decided to join the company of Thorin Oakenshield. I can’t explain it but I feel as if it is the right thing to do. I have only made up my mind just now and if I hesitate too long I will talk myself out of it. Please do not be angry with me for not waking you. I thought it best this way. But fear not, my dear. I will return home. I cannot say when for sure. But I will come back to Bag End._

_With all my love,_

_Uncle Bilbo_

Belle wanted to be angry that Bilbo left her behind. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she was more proud of her Uncle than anything else. Somehow, she knew he would help the Dwarves reach their goal.

Next, she reached for the flower. The stem of the flower had been threaded through a small, but ornately carved silver bead. She recognized it as one of the beads Fili wore to decorate the braids in his beard. She held the flower gently against he heard and opened the second letter.

_Belle,_

_I cannot express how fortunate I feel to have met you. This journey will be difficult, there will be trials beyond imagination. You have given me the guiding light I need to make it through this. Something beyond family and duty. You have given me hope that the future I want for myself is attainable. I want you to know that when I am at my lowest, I will think of you to raise my spirits._

_When we take back Erebor I will send word._

_I will come back for you._

_Fili_

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the hobbit. Belle is my only original character. I tried to stay as close to the movie dialouge/book as I could.


End file.
